


The Cousin Chronicles

by TayTay4936



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Family, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Meet the Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-09-06 00:10:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16821208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TayTay4936/pseuds/TayTay4936
Summary: Patrick had always been close with his cousins. That didn't change with something as meaningless as distance.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok...I'm extremely nervous about this. I haven't written anything for this fandom because A) the show is perfect as it is and B) The other fics written for the show have been so amazing I don't want to tarnish that. But I've had this idea in my head for over a year and just visited Goodwood for the first time Friday so I felt like I had to get it down. I have so many questions about Patrick's family, especially his sibling-like cousins.

Patrick had been in Schitt’s Creek less than a month, but he felt that he was adjusting quite well. The small town was quirky, for sure, but there was a charm to it he couldn’t quite explain.

He had to admit that part of his comfort in the unfortunately-named town was the result of this new freedom he had never felt before.

Before he left the town he had lived in all his life, he sat his parents down and had a talk with them he knew he should have had with them years ago.

Truth be told, he probably should have had a little sit-down with himself years ago.

It was borderline embarrassing that he had been on this earth for over 30 years and was only now coming to grips with his sexuality. He was always secure enough to admit when a man was attractive, but his epiphany had only occurred recently.

Once he was able to admit to himself that he was, in fact, gay, it was as if everything made sense. He understood why kissing and having sex with Rachel always felt like a chore. Why he never felt that spark. Or fireworks. Or any of the other things they always talk about in romance movies.

***

When he sat his parents down and told them about his newfound realization, his father was all smiles, overjoyed that his son had learned such a big part of himself. He could already tell Patrick seemed more confident and sure of himself.

His mother…had a bit of a different reaction.

While she made it clear that she loved him no matter what, she found it hard to believe that her son, who had been with the same girl most of his life (admittedly on-and-off) was gay.

Though he was disheartened by her reaction, Patrick didn’t let it sway him from his other piece of news.

“So…I’ve decided I need a fresh start. I’ve been looking at job postings and there’s someone looking for business help….It’s…a bit far.”

He watched his mother’s eyes narrow in that way only a parent could achieve.

“How far is ‘a bit far’?”

Dropping his head sheepishly, Patrick mumbled, “It’s about a 6-hour drive.”

To most, that wouldn’t seem like much, but the Brewer family had always been a close one, always near one another.

He looked up when he heard his mother gasp. Even his father didn’t look very pleased.

“I know,” he rushed out. “I know. And I’m going to miss everybody, but I just need a clean slate. A complete new start. And I’ll still come to visit. I promise.”

“Well…” his father began after a bit of silence. “You’re a grown man. And you’re smart. I know you’ll be fine anywhere, but that doesn’t mean I won’t miss the hell out of you. What is the name of this town?”

Patrick couldn’t help the chuckle that came out. “Schitt’s Creek.”

That got a laugh out of both of his parents.

“Be serious!” His mother smiled.

“I am serious!” He spelled out the name of the town and watched his father fail to contain his joy.

“I’m going to need every piece of merchandise with this town’s name on it. Every single one.”

Patrick laughed joyously, relieved by the change of tone of the room. “Duly noted.”

They talked a bit more about details, Patrick explaining what he would be doing (or at least what he thought he’d be doing) for Ray Butani.

When he got home that night, he collapsed onto his bed, conflicting emotions bubbling in his stomach. He was relieved his parents were mostly on board with his upcoming move, but couldn’t help but feel an itch under his skin, knowing his mother wasn’t 100% behind his revelation of his sexuality.

Knowing what he needed, he picked up his phone and called the one person he knew he could talk to.

“What’s up, cuz?” he heard after a couple rings.

Sophia was a few years older than him, but of all their cousins, the two of them were the closest.

With a deep breath, he told her everything he had told his parents earlier. When he came out to her, she let out a high-pitched squeal he was pretty sure he had never heard out of her before.

“Oh, Patrick. I’m so happy for you! I was worried you would never figure it out!”

“Wait, you knew?” he asked in shock.

“I suspected…I highly suspected,” she said, much calmer. “Brandon and I both had our suspicions for a long time. We could never understand why you kept taking Rachel back when we figured she wasn’t exactly your type…”

“Wow…” he couldn’t think of much more to say to that. He had no idea Sophia or her brother suspected he was gay before he even figured it out himself.

“Are you okay if I tell him?” Sophia asked softly. “Or do you plan on telling him? He’ll be bummed he lost the bet, but he’ll be just as excited as I am that you’ve figured your shit out.”

Patrick’s eyes grew big. “I’m sorry, the what?”

Sophia laughed. “Okay, not really a bet….There was no money exchanged or anything, we’ve just had discussions about when you’d come out. He thought it would take you until you were 40. I knew you’d figure it out before then.” He could sense the hint of smugness in her tone.

“Thanks…I guess.”

He went on to tell her about his plans to move to Schitt’s Creek. Like his father, her amusement at the name of the town was endless. Once she calmed down, she got a tad more serious.

“I think that’s a great plan, Patrick. Get away and start over somewhere brand new. I think that’s just what you need.”

He smiled. He knew if Sophia thought it was a good idea, it was likely the right decision.

“How did your parents take it?”

He told her about the conversation he had just had, including his mother’s reaction to his coming out.

“Don’t sweat her, Patrick. You were on and off with Rachel for so long that that’s just what she’s used to. And she’s not as observant as Brandon and I. I think you just surprised her. That, and it’s probably hard for her to realize that she’s missed something so important about her son for so long.”

Patrick nodded to himself. While his mother’s reaction still hurt, Sophia’s explanation did make sense.

“I guess you’re right.”

“Just give her time. She’ll come around. I know it.”

They talked for a few more minutes before Patrick decided to call it a night and go to bed. His new life was starting.

***

It was a month later and Patrick was keeping his family updated on his life in this new town. Sophia never got enough of his stories about the town’s quirky residents, and he was enjoying his work…though he was definitely kept busy. Turns out Ray Butani was a very nice person, but he didn’t exactly keep the books for his many businesses in order.

He was in the middle of trying to make some sort of sense of this “closet organization” business Ray had recently decided to start when he heard his name being called.

As he made his way to the front room, his eyes immediately landed on what had to be the most striking man he had ever seen. He fit Patrick’s definition of ‘tall, dark, and handsome.’ His outfit was a little odd, but on him it worked. When he introduced himself, it clicked who it was he was talking to.

He had heard about the Rose family losing their fortune due to a crooked employee when it first happened. He felt bad for them, not just because the loss of their money was due to no fault of their own, but Patrick would always have a soft spot in his heart for his first job.

Ray had informed him when he first moved that Schitt’s Creek was where the Roses had settled, but up until now, he had yet to run into any of them.

Now, he was standing face-to-face with the Rose family’s son. He half-wished he had paid more attention to his cousins’ ramblings about the exploits of the two Rose children. He had no idea said son was so damn gorgeous.

The two of them sat down and he watched as David rambled on about his store idea, or, at least, an idea for an idea for a store? Nothing was really making sense, but Patrick could have listened to his ramblings all day. There was something endearing about David Rose.

He couldn’t help the butterflies in his stomach as he handed over his business card.

He really hoped he’d call.

***

He didn’t have to wait long.

When he got back from lunch, he had no less than 9 voicemails from one David Rose.

As he listened to the first couple, he couldn’t help but laugh. David was as ridiculous on the phone as he was in person.

But then, as he listened to the remaining voicemails, he realized his idea wasn’t as crazy and random as it had seemed earlier that day. It was great, brilliant even. And it would connect the town of Schitt’s Creek as well as surrounding areas in a way that they had never been before. As he re-listened to the messages, he completed David’s paperwork, his smile never wavering.

He told himself it was just the genius of the business plan.

He was pleasantly surprised to see David return to the office the same day, clearly embarrassed that he had messed up his paperwork.

Patrick couldn’t contain his delight.

They only spoke for a few minutes, the banter that had begun only that morning already feeling familiar and right. As David exited the house/office, Patrick nodded to himself.

Yeah. This was it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've kind of left this story behind, mostly because I was intimidated by it, but I wanted to get back to it. There were multiple moments from the show that I wanted to delve into, but ultimately, I ended up instead jumping into what this story is really about. Perhaps we'll go back and delve into those cousin conversations at a later time. Hopefully you all enjoy this. Thank you for reading and sticking with me!

Patrick had kept Sophia up to date on the saga that was ‘Patrick Brewer pines for David Rose.’ He told her of their endless flirting, but more importantly the feelings it stirred in him. The butterflies. The feeling of ‘right.’

When he told her about their first date and kiss, he could have sworn she had won a jackpot as he listened to her outright cheering.

“Oh, Patrick!” she gushed. “I’m so happy for you! How did it feel?”

He took a moment and really thought about it.

“It felt…right. It felt like it’s supposed to feel.”

The sound that came out of her mouth was somewhere between a whine, a whimper, and a squeal.

“Patrick. That’s…that’s incredible. That’s…what we all live for.”

Patrick’s smile only grew. It felt so good to have someone to share all this with.

“You know I have to meet him now, right? I gotta meet the man who’s making my favorite cousin so happy!”

Patrick chuckled, a combination of excitement and anxiety. “I don’t know if we’re ready for that yet, but I promise, when we’re ready for him to meet the family, you’ll be one of the firsts on the list.”

And so, life continued on, Patrick updating Sophia and sometimes Brandon as well about the goings on in his life in Schitt’s Creek. They discussed the Open Mic Night, his cousins not able to get enough, with Sophia pointing out how significant it was that David had practically been brought to tears. Through these regular conversations, she had come to think of herself as something of an expert.

“You got to him, Patrick. You stripped him to his core and he let you see him. He let you see how much you affect him.”

It was this discussion of David’s vulnerability that led to Sophia practically ripping Patrick’s throat out when he told her about ‘The Rachel Incident.’

“How could you, Patrick? How could you not tell him? You know how insecure he is from his past relationships. And then here you come with this huge ass secret and because you didn’t tell him, you let Rachel do it for you. You let her blindside him and make him feel ‘less than.’”

Patrick was already in tears and that just made him feel worse. He could barely get out the brief conversation he had had with David. He could swear he heard Sophia herself sniffling when he told her David had referred to himself as ‘damaged goods.’

“You need to fix this, Patrick. Let him take his time, since that’s what he asked for, but then it’s up to you to fix this.” She advised against the barrage of texts and gifts, but he ignored her advice. He was a desperate man, after all.

They didn’t speak again until he and David had reunited, both Sophia and Brandon sounding almost as relieved as Patrick was. He smiled as he listened to Sophia squeal and Brandon cheer as he described David’s olive branch.

“I swear,” Sophia began. “I may love that man just as much as you do, and I haven’t even met him yet.”

Patrick laughed. He was still riding high on relief. He and David were back.

“Speaking of which,” Sophia cut in. “I think it’s about time we met the boy of your dreams, don’t you think?”

Patrick was nervous. After the talk they had after the olive branch, he knew that he and David were good. They were solid. Still, meeting the family was a big step, and even though he knew he’d have the support of at least two of his cousins, his mother’s reaction to the news of his sexuality still hadn’t left Patrick.

He shared his thoughts with the other two on the phone and their advice was basically to ‘bite the bullet.’ “He’s gotta meet us sooner or later,” Brandon commented. “And we’ll be with you guys every step of the way if you need.”

They all decided that if Patrick was going to do this, the time would be his mother’s birthday, which was about a month away. He knew they would be throwing a huge extended family party. Now all he had to do was convince David.

***

“Sure,” was David’s quick response when Patrick brought the idea up to him the next morning. He didn’t even glance up from the colognes he was restocking.

Patrick shook his head like a dog shaking off excess water, certain he hadn’t heard right.

“I’m sorry, what? Maybe you didn’t understand. I want you to come to my mom’s birthday party so you can meet my entire family. And you just said ‘sure’?”

David put down the box of product and finally turned to face Patrick.

“Yes,” he replied calmly. “That’s what I said. Obviously, I’m terrified. I’m shaking in my Alexander McQueens right now. But this is important to you. I know how important your family is. So of course I’ll go.”

Not for the first time, Patrick wondered what he had done to deserve this man. He pulled David in for a hard kiss. When they pulled back, David spoke.

“Now I gotta figure out what to wear! And what to get her! Ugh!”

***

David agonized for weeks. He hounded Patrick about his mother’s likes and dislikes. He went through his closet many times over, trying to find something that Patrick’s family wouldn’t deem ‘too feminine.’ Finally, Patrick drew the line when David asked if he could maybe borrow some of his clothes.

“Okay, seriously,” Patrick cut in. “You are not wearing my clothes. I’m not dating a pod person, I’m dating _you_. I don’t want to look at you and see the person you think my parents want you to be; I want to see you. I want to see David Rose in all his beautiful…” David watched Patrick’s eyes wander up and down his body. “…fucking sexy glory.” He ran his hands underneath his boyfriend’s sweater and undershirt, his eyes already glazed over.

“Wait! I gotta…” David cast a fleeting glance at the open closet before his lips were captured.

“We’ll figure it out later,” Patrick huffed against his lips before they gave themselves over to bliss.

***

It was finally the day of the party. It was a Saturday, their busiest day at the store, so they had decided to stay open half the day. Patrick would head out early that morning, with David working the shop for the day. He’d close and head out around 11:30 am, so he’d get there right around when everyone else would be there but before the big birthday dinner.

Everything was going to plan, David loading his gift as well as all of his own essentials into the Rose family car right on time. He had decided on wearing his black skinny jeans with the ripped knees with a plain white t-shirt and his black leather jacket.

As he drove away, he kept telling himself that everything would be okay.

***

Patrick stared anxiously out the window.

It was 8:00 and there was still no sign of David.

He had tried his cell multiple times, but it went straight to voicemail. He had called everyone he could think of: each of the Roses, Stevie, Twyla, Ted, even Jocelyn, and no one had seen him since the store that morning.

He saw Sophia’s reflection as she came up and began to rub his back soothingly.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” she said, though doubt was clearly evident in her face. They looked out together at the rain coming down steadily. It had started about an hour ago, and only added to Patrick’s anxiety. He reached for his phone again, but stopped himself, knowing that if he heard that voicemail message one more time, he’d throw the phone against the wall.

“Come on, you two.” He heard his mother as she entered the room. “Let’s do cake.”

He glared at her in shock. She had been particularly blasé about David’s absence.

“Honey,” she had said gently, earlier, “If he decided not to come, then he decided not to come.”

He had tried to explain to her how much effort David had put into today. For her. She had had the decency to look slightly contrite. The two of them hadn’t spoken the rest of the evening until now.

“I can’t eat cake while he’s out there,” Patrick nearly whispered, sparing another worried glance out the window.

“Come on,” Sophia gently cut in. “Let’s do this and then we can both go back to worrying. Maybe try his phone again.”

Reluctantly, Patrick let himself be led away, a numbness growing deep in his chest.

Just as Mrs. Brewer was blowing out her candles, everyone heard the ring of the doorbell.

“I’ll get it,” she told the room with a smile.

As she opened the door, she was shocked as the man in front of her nearly collapsed at her feet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry...

David caught himself on the frame of the door, doing his best to look up at the woman who had answered through his sopping hair in his eyes from his hunched position.

“Sorry,” he gasped. “Sorry. I’m looking for Patrick Brewer.”

Patrick’s mother’s eyes widened in realization. “Are you David?” she asked around a gasp as she brought her hand to her mouth in shock. She watched the young man before her nod, causing her eyes to grow even more before she finally came to her senses.

“My god, come in, honey.” She rushed to move out of his way as he slowly stepped over the threshold. “Let me get you some towels. You’re soaked.” She quickly ran to the small closet in the hallway, grabbing a full stack of towels before quickly returning to the man still hunched over at her front door.

“Here, here.” She frantically began trying in vain to dry him, her stomach sinking once she got a good look at his face.

“Patrick! Jerry!” She soon heard the hurried footsteps of her husband and their son behind her.

***

Patrick heard the urgency in his mother’s voice and quickly headed in her direction. His knees nearly gave out at the sight in front of him.

“David!”

He watched in horror as his boyfriend lifted his head in his direction. His left eye was almost completely swollen shut, a trail of dried blood down his chin from a clearly busted lip.

Patrick rushed over, his hands shaking as a million scrambled thoughts swarmed his mind. He brought his hands up, only to retract them, scared of causing his lover more pain. His mother finally voiced the most pressing of his many thoughts.

“What happened?”

David coughed before finding his voice, his body reacting to the sudden change in temperature.

“My-” he began around chattering teeth. “My car broke down. Tried to flag somebody down. A couple guys pulled over. Didn’t- Didn’t like being in the presence of a queer. Took- Took out their frustrations before they drove off. After a bit, I was able to get up and- and started walking. My phone was dead so I couldn’t call. I didn’t know the rain was coming.”

Patrick was shaking, tears steadily leaking from his eyes as he tried to hold in a sob. He vaguely heard his father’s voice behind him.

“Where was this?”

Jerry Brewer had always been the ‘Papa Bear’ of the neighborhood. He was someone all the other kids knew they could go to. He would offer them support, protection, lunch money, whatever he could do to help out.

“I had just passed a campground, I think. Broke down maybe five minutes after it.”

Jerry and Leslie’s eyes met, both parents shocked.

“Son, that’s still at least 15 kilometers away,” Jerry finally responded in awe.

Patrick finally came back to himself, gently caressing the unmarred parts of the face he loved as his mother continued trying to dry the freezing man. “Did they hurt you anywhere else?” Patrick asked in a hoarse voice.

David hesitated for a moment. He already felt horrible for bringing this unnecessary drama on his boyfriend’s mother’s birthday; he didn’t want to make it any worse, but Patrick’s eyes were so earnest, so sincere, he knew he couldn’t lie.

“Ribs,” he croaked out.

Leslie backed away from where she had been kneeling on the floor, bringing herself to her full height. “Jeanine!” she called.

Almost instantly, Patrick’s aunt, Jeanine, joined the group. She had been a registered nurse for years. Patrick’s mother quickly gave her the rundown before she methodically made her way to the young man.

“Hi, David, I’m Jeanine. I’m Patrick’s aunt. Is it okay if I look at your ribs? I’m a nurse. I promise I’ll be as gentle as I can.” David nodded his permission and watched the woman get to work.

“Help me get his jacket off,” she called.

Both Patrick and his father worked to remove David’s leather jacket as gently as possible. Every hiss of pain was followed by frantic apologies from both and fresh tears from Patrick. Finally, the jacket was off and Jeanine started on the completely soaked through t-shirt. She pulled the shirt up as quickly yet gently as possible, doing her best to school her features at seeing the deep purple bruises that covered a good portion of David’s torso.

“This may hurt, I’m sorry. I’ll be as quick as I can.” David nodded.

Leslie, not nearly as good an actor as her sister, had been unable to control her facial expressions upon seeing the myriad of bruising. She watched as David ground his teeth while her sister prodded at his ribs. It was less than a minute before she was done, but to Leslie, and she was sure to David as well, it felt like an eternity. Finally, she watched her sister gently bring the shirt back down.

“I can’t feel anything broken, but we won’t know for sure until we get you to a hospital.”

David quickly and emphatically shook his head.

“No. No hospitals. I’ll be fine.”

“David!” Patrick cried from behind him.

David did his best to turn his head, a valiant but fruitless effort to make eye contact with Patrick. “It’s okay. I know the drill. I’ve had worse.”

“What the hell do you mean, you’ve had worse?” Patrick asked. David did his best to smirk, but in his current state, it looked more like a grimace. “I did go to high school, remember.”

Patrick was at a loss for words. David would make comments about his high school days, like his parents spending exorbitant amounts of money for therapy, and Patrick would occasionally hear one of the Roses briefly mention bullying before David would swiftly cut them off, but he would always downplay it or cover with a joke. He remembers preparing for his housewarming party and David simply stating that nothing had happened to him, he “just didn’t like it.” Clearly, that had been a tactic to not discuss the darker parts of his adolescence. Now Patrick wished he had delved deeper.

“Okay, no more interrogations for now,” Leslie broke in. “Patrick, why don’t you get David into the shower so he can warm up? I’ll grab some fresh clothes. David's obviously too big for your old clothes, but your father should have something. There should be plenty of towels in the cabinet in the bathroom.”

As much as he wanted to press the issue, Patrick knew this wasn’t the time. His love was hurt and freezing and he needed to help him. He nodded at his mother’s words and began guiding David to the staircase.

“Here, let me carry you,” he said gently, aching to do anything to help.

David eyed the three watching them and shook his head. “No,” he forced out. “No, I got it.”

“David! Let me help you.”

David again shook his head before reaching back and squeezing his boyfriend’s hand. “It’s okay. I got it.”

Patrick watched helplessly as David slowly made his way up the stairs, hands gripping both rails like a vise. Before following up the stairs, Patrick made eye contact with his mother. His anger was flowing hot through his veins. It kept him from processing the pallor in her face at what she had witnessed.

***

They stopped once they reached the top of the stairs, David panting as though he had run a marathon. Patrick rubbed his back soothingly, guilt nipping at him like a piranha.

Once he had his breathing under control, David spoke. “Which way’s the bathroom?”

Patrick pointed and then gently guided David down the hall until they had reached the small room. He grabbed towels, placing them on the counter. He turned on the shower so the water could warm up before returning to David.

“Let’s do your pants first, okay?” His voice was barely above a whisper. David nodded, knowing the painful part would be getting his shirt off.

Patrick quickly unfastened the jeans. They were normally tight on David but with the added water were now like a second skin. Patrick slowly worked them down David’s legs, dropping to his knees as he followed the pants on their trail until they were at David’s ankles. Patrick quickly followed with David’s underwear, pressing a quick kiss to a thigh before returning to his feet.

“Okay,” he huffed nervously. “Let’s do this.” He worked first one arm through a hole, then the other. He finally pulled the rest of the shirt up to gather at David’s neck. He pulled the neckline as wide as he could and quickly yanked the shirt over his lover’s head.

David panted softly, his arms wrapped around himself both due to the pain in his ribs and to stave off the cold.

Patrick finally got his first full look at his boyfriend’s injuries. The busted lip. The black eye. And his marred midsection.

He felt himself crumbling. He couldn’t handle this.

“I’m so sorry.” Patrick pulled back in alarm at the soft words. He soon realized that David was crying. Crying and _apologizing_. “I’m so sorry,” he said again. This time he even sounded angry.

“What the hell are you apologizing for?” Patrick asked in disbelief.

“I ruined everything. It’s your mother’s birthday party and now I’ve turned it into this freakshow.”

“David!” Patrick was appalled, but David cut him off before he could continue.

“I was supposed to make a good impression. I needed to make a good impression. Now your whole family’s seen the weird, weak little fairy you’ve been dating. I guess the clothes I chose really didn’t matter after all,” David concluded self-deprecatingly.

“David,” Patrick choked out, fighting through his own tears to make his voice as stern as possible. “David, you are _not,_ I repeat, _not_ weak, and definitely not a-” Patrick gulped. “-weak little fairy.” His face twisted as those words left his mouth. He felt disgusted even saying them out loud. “You, David Rose, are the strongest fucking man I’ve ever known. You’re strong and brave and smart and beautiful and I do not deserve you.” His voice cracked on his last sentence. “I do not deserve you. But I will do everything in my power to get there. And as for my family, if any of them can’t accept you, then fuck them. You’re mine and I’m yours and nothing any of them say can change my mind.” He cupped David’s cheeks. “I love you. I love you more than anything. So fucking much it terrifies me. Okay?”

David nodded, his own tears gliding down his face.

“Okay.”

Patrick brought him in for a gentle kiss, careful of David’s abused bottom lip.

“Now, come on. Let’s get you warm.”

As the two of them entered the shower, they had no indication that Patrick’s mother had heard their entire conversation, standing outside the bathroom, a set of fresh clothes in her hands.

***

David felt the steaming water run over his aching muscles. It felt like heaven. He was able to straighten his back somewhat and looked at the tortured face of the man he loved more than anything.

“Let me take care of you,” Patrick murmured. David could only nod.

Patrick gently but thoroughly washed his love, the soap following his lips as they placed a trail of healing kisses down David’s body. As he got lower, he dropped to his knees, his arms taking a detour to circle around David’s waist as Patrick kissed every inch of bruised skin. When he was done, rather than continuing on, he rested his head lightly against David’s torso, his tears mixing with the falling water.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he forced out around the sobs he was fighting to hold in.

“Hey, hey,” David lifted his head. “This was not your fault. We didn’t know this would happen and there was nothing you could have done to stop it. It was not your fault; do you understand me?” He pressed a kiss to Patrick’s forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Patrick sobbed, returning to his position of leaning against David’s torso. David pressed another kiss to his boyfriend’s short hair and just held him as he cried, hoping Patrick could feel his love radiating into him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the continued support, guys. This chapter was a bit challenging to write, so I hope it came out okay.

Patrick finished washing David thoroughly before shutting off the water. He stepped out of the tub/shower, turning back to David. He reached his arms out, gently helping him out of the tub. Once they were both on solid ground, Patrick began the drying process, beginning with David’s hair.

David laughed as his boyfriend ruffled his dripping locks.

“I think I can handle this part.”

Patrick did his best to appreciate David’s attempt to lighten the mood, offering a small smile.

“Let me do this, please?” He placed a soft kiss to the corner of David’s mouth. “You just relax, okay?”

David nodded, beginning to understand how important this was for Patrick. He watched as Patrick grabbed a second towel and, with painstaking care, dried David from head to toe. As he was drying his back, David closed his eyes. Despite everything that happened today, he felt like the luckiest man alive. He could feel Patrick’s love and care seeping into him.

When he was done, Patrick quickly dried himself and wrapped a towel around his waist before poking his head out the bathroom door. He found the clean clothes folded neatly on the floor just outside the door. He placed them on the counter, quickly changing into his previous outfit.

He watched David eye the worn plaid flannel and threadbare sweatpants on the counter.

“So much for a good impression, I guess,” he sighed.

Patrick rubbed his hands up and down David’s arms. “David,” he began, once again both heartbroken and angry that his boyfriend was so disappointed in himself. “You have nothing to prove. Nothing.” He still hadn’t quite grasped all that David had overcome in the last 9 hours. “You’re alive and you’re here. That’s all that matters to me.” David gave him a sweet smile before leaning in to place a kiss on his lips.

Patrick reached over and grabbed the sweatpants first. Returning to his knees, he carefully helped David slip them on. They were big, but not too much so. Patrick then stood and grabbed the flannel shirt, thankful that it was a button up. Once he was done, he and David both turned to the mirror, Patrick gently wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s waist.

David sighed. True, the clothes didn’t look terrible, but his face was a mess.

As if sensing his thoughts, Patrick placed a kiss to his shoulder before burying his face in the soft material. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered. “Absolutely beautiful.”

David smiled shyly, squeezing the hands around his waist before pulling away.

“Okay,” he sighed. “Let’s do this.”

Patrick looked at him in confusion. “Do what? I thought you’d want to rest up here.”

David scoffed. “After all I did to get here, I’m not about to hide up in your childhood bedroom and let you deal with your family alone.”

“I can stay up here with you,” Patrick countered.

“That’s even worse. We’d just be hiding away and letting the gossip run rampant downstairs. I don’t think so.”

David began to make his way towards the door when Patrick grabbed his wrist.

“David,” he begged softly.

To his horror, he watched David straighten up as best he could and shoot him a glare.

“Do you not want me to go down there? Are you embarrassed?”

“What?!” Patrick cried in shock. “No! I’m worried about you. I want you to rest and take it easy, not worry about trying to impress my family!” David could see the desperation and pain in his lover’s eyes and immediately felt guilty.

“Hey, hey.” He rubbed Patrick’s shoulders as he had done so many times before. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I should know better than that. But Patrick, I have to do this. If not for you, then for me. Okay? I’ll be fine.” Patrick still looked worried. “You can just park me on the couch or something. I won’t be able to hurt myself too much then. It’ll be fine.”

They stared into each other’s eyes silently. This was David Rose in a nutshell. Probably the most stubborn man he’d ever met, but with the purest of hearts. He could see the depth of love in his eyes, along with the need to do this. He sighed reluctantly.

“Alright, but it becomes too much, you let me know, okay? I mean it.”

David smirked. “Yes, sir.” His smirk spread to a full grin as he watched his love groan.

“Don’t say that to me when I can’t do anything about it.”

David laughed before bringing Patrick in for a deep kiss. Patrick felt the copper taste of blood on his tongue, but David didn’t seem to mind, so he didn’t either. They both needed this.

Tongues blended together in the familiar dance; hands groped, Patrick always mindful of David’s injuries.

They eventually pulled back when air became necessary, the heat still present in their eyes.

“I love you,” Patrick whispered, still panting.

“I love you,” David smirked.

The two eventually made their way out of the bathroom, the sight of the stairs serving as a bucket of ice water, dousing their libido.

“Will you please let me carry you this time?” Patrick asked anxiously.

David shook his head. “Getting down should be easier than going up. Plus, you drop me, we’re both fucked.”

Patrick sighed in frustration before David began his descent down the stairs. Yes, it went more quickly than the journey up, but it still looked painful as hell. Patrick felt his stomach turning once again.

***

They took a moment for David to get his bearings once they reached the bottom before entering the living room, David following behind Patrick closely, clutching his hand tightly and head ducked down.

The noise in the living room diminished significantly when they entered, but before David could go into full-on panic mode, he heard his name being called before a pair of arms wrapped around his neck, the body attached steering clear of his abused midsection.

“It’s so awesome to finally meet you! Patrick’s told us so much about you I feel like I know you!” He finally looked up into the grinning face of the woman before him. She giggled bashfully. “Sorry! I’m Sophia, Patrick’s cousin.”

David smiled in recognition. He knew Patrick and Sophia were the closest of their family.

“It’s nice to finally meet you. Sorry I’m not my most presentable.” He looked down briefly before Sophia cut in.

“Nonsense. We’re just glad you’re here and that you’re okay. Come on.”

Before David could say another word, Sophia had taken his other arm and she and Patrick were leading him to the couch.

David saw there were a few people already there, but they immediately stood up and got out of the way when they saw him approaching.

“Sorry…sorry,” David tried to apologize.

“No worries, man. Take a load off,” one of them said before all three moved to another part of the room.

“Making friends already,” David grumbled.

“Hush,” Sophia answered. She and Patrick got him to the couch. “How do you want to be?” Patrick asked. Sophia quickly glanced over David’s head. Her cousin looked pale and anxious. She knew she had to talk to him alone later.

After a moment of thought, David answered. “I think maybe reclining back against the arm of the couch?” They helped him get situated before Patrick spoke again. “What can I get you? What’ll help?”

“Maybe an ice pack?”

Patrick nodded before quickly making his way to the kitchen.

He was frantically tossing things around the freezer in his search when he heard his mother’s voice.

“What do you need, honey?”

Patrick huffed. “David needs an ice pack and I can’t find one in this stupid freezer!”

He didn’t see her eyes go wide as he violently shook the door in frustration. She quickly went into action.

“Here. Here.” She scanned the contents of the freezer before pulling out a bag of frozen peas.

“That should work.”

Without another word, Patrick took the bag and made his way back to the living room.

When he returned, he saw David smiling as he talked with Sophia, who was seated on the floor near where his head was positioned on the couch. He smiled as he watched the exchange. He knew that Sophia would love David, but it warmed him to see it in person, and to see David getting along with her in return.

David’s eyes glanced up and met his, a warm smile coming to the wounded man’s face.

_You don’t deserve him._

The same thought from earlier plagued Patrick as he made his way over.

“Here,” he said softly, holding up the bag as he knelt on the carpet, Sophia moving to the side. “This is all they had.”

David smiled thankfully. “That’ll work.” He took the bag and laid it across his midsection.

“Thank you, love.” He reached out and stroked Patrick’s face, seeing the toll the evening’s events had taken on him.

“Why don’t you go take a breather? I’ll be fine here.”

Patrick was about to protest when Sophia cut him off. “I got him, Patrick.” She spoke softly as she gently rubbed his back.

Looking back at David, knowing he was dating the most stubborn man on the planet and that he was outnumbered, he nodded around a sigh. He turned to Sophia. “You get me if he needs anything, okay?”

“Of course.”

He turned back to David, leaning in for a gentle kiss.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“Love you too,” David smiled.

David watched as best he could as Patrick headed out the back door.

***

Patrick practically collapsed in exhaustion as he took a seat on the back steps, his head in his hands.

He couldn’t believe he had let this happen. He hadn’t been there when David needed him the most, and what was worse was that David felt like he had done something wrong. That he had made a bad impression on Patrick’s family, when in reality Patrick couldn’t care less what his family thought of himself, David, or their relationship. This whole situation reminded him how painful it would be to live without David.

He groaned, his head sliding further down to his knees, his arms hanging limply over his shoulders, before he felt a gentle tap. He looked up to see his dad standing above him.

“Mind if I sit?”

Patrick shook his head before going back to staring dejectedly at the ground.

“You know…” his dad began. “Your David’s pretty goddamn strong.”

Patrick looked up at his father.

“Those sons of bitches hurt him,” Patrick watched his father’s face turn grim. “And I’m gonna do everything I can to find them, but they hurt him, he got back up, and walked all that way, even in the rain. And don’t think I didn’t see him force his way up those stairs by himself.”

“He didn’t want to seem weak in front of you guys.”

Patrick watched his dad nod.

“I know. I’m sorry we made him feel he had to do that. He was putting on a brave, tough front for us, but he pulled through it.”

Patrick felt himself choking up again. He tried desperately to keep the tears from leaking.

“I failed him,” he choked out. “I was supposed to protect him, and I failed him.”

“Hey, hey, come on.” He felt his dad wrap an arm around his shoulders. “You did not fail him. This was out of your control. You can’t expect to be there 24/7. And what if you were? From what David said, it sounds like he was outnumbered. You would have both gotten hurt. And finally, it is not always your job to protect him. You guys are partners. You support _each other_ and protect _each other_. That’s what a partnership is.”

Patrick nodded. He knew his dad was right. “He was so worried about what you guys would think of him. He stressed for weeks. About his clothes, about how to act. He wanted to do everything right.”

“I’m sorry, Patrick. I’m sorry we made him feel like he couldn’t be himself or that he had something to prove. David clearly loves you and that’s all that matters to me. I would never want him to change. And I don’t want you to change either.”

Patrick lifted his eyes to his father’s and felt like he was a teenager again, struggling with what he was feeling and trying his best to play the part he thought he needed to play.

“I never want you to change who you are, Patrick. If I ever made you feel like you had to, or that you couldn’t be your true self, I am so deeply sorry. I love you so much, son. Just the way you are.”

That unleashed the floodgates. Jerry held his son close as he sobbed into his chest, releasing everything he had kept bottled up for far too long.

Both men eventually collected themselves, wiping their eyes.

“So. Tell me about David.”

Patrick smiled and began.

***

After speaking with his dad, Patrick felt much lighter and ready to return to the party.

As he made his way inside, he was immediately approached by Colin, one of his younger cousins. He was just finishing high school if Patrick remembered correctly.

“Dude! Your boyfriend is bad ass! He walked all the way here from the campground in the rain? After what those guys did to him? That’s hardcore!”

Patrick chuckled at his cousin’s enthusiasm.

Smile still in place, he searched the room for David, his eyes widening once he found him.

His boyfriend was surrounded by his cousins, somehow managing to converse with all of them at once.

He watched as Brian, who was currently in college studying business, got up and made his way over.

“Patrick, your boyfriend is awesome! He was telling me all about the business model for your store. Genius!” Brian smiled as he continued on towards the kitchen.

Patrick brought his attention back to David, unsurprised at his ability to command a room, but thoroughly impressed that he was able to find common ground with so many of his family members in so many different ways.

Sophia and Brandon both found him watching from the sidelines and grinned, Sophia nodding as if to confirm David’s place. He grinned back, a weight he didn’t know he had been carrying being lifted from his shoulders.

He finally felt he had watched long enough. He needed to be near David.

“Okay, okay, break it up. My turn.”

David smiled as he approached, Sophia and Brandon scooting over so he could sit right in front of David.

“I see someone’s popular.”

David rolled his eyes as best he could in his current state, a blush tinting his cheeks.

“They’re just curious about the weird new species that’s landed on their doorstep.”

Rather than argue, Patrick merely rolled his eyes with a grin as he leaned in for a kiss.

The catcalls behind him made both of them laugh into the kiss.

At that moment, Patrick Brewer felt truly content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We probably have another 2-3 chapters left to go on this. Thank you to everyone for reading. Kudos and comments make my day.


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